Happy birthday
by mysterygirl2000
Summary: A birthday gift brings Sara and Jake together


Just a little more fluff for the die-hard fans out there. Enjoy and remember to review.

Jake stared at the open ring box on his desk. It was a silver band with two hands joined over a heart and on top of the heart was a crown. The man he bought it from told him it was a Claddaugh ring, which symbolized loyalty, friendship and love.

Looking up, he saw Sara coming. Quickly he closed the lid on the box and shoved it in pocket. The door opened and Sara stepped inside holding two cups of coffee. She set one down in front of him.

"Thanks."

"No problem." She said, "So are you ready to get to work on these reports."

"Sure."

She sat down, opening the folder in front of her. Absently, she picked up a pen and began chewing on the end of it. Jake looked up, watching her. He knew from her actions that she was thinking about the case in front of her.

"So what are you planning for tonight."

"Nothing."

"Come on Pez. You gotta have something planned."

Sara looked up, meeting his eyes.

"How did you find out."

"Personnel files."

Sara dropped the pen on the desk.

"You checked me out."

"Pez…I…

She didn't give him a chance to finish.

"Jake you had no right to do that. Anything you wanted to know you should have asked me."

"Like you would have told me. I ask you questions and you avoid them Everything about you is a mystery."

Sara closed the file on her desk and stood up quickly, knocking her chair to the floor. Before Jake could say anything else, she stormed out of the office. He wanted to follow her but decided it would be best to give her some time to cool off.

Sara didn't come back to the office the rest of the afternoon. Jake worked on some of the reports but as it grew later, he found himself unable to concentrate. Finally he gave up, closing the file in front of him. He stood up slowly and walked over to her side of the office. Carefully he picked up her chair and pushed it under her desk.

Grabbing his jacket, he slipped it on and walked out of the office. A couple of the officers watched him as he made his way through the department. Jake knew that they were watching him but he chose to ignore them. He walked out of the building and pulled out his cell phone. 

He dialed Sara's number and waited. It rang 4 times, then her machine picked up.

"Pezinni…go."

"Sara, its Jake. I didn't mean to… I'm sorry Sara."

He was about to hang up when she picked up the phone.

"Jake?"

"Sara? Sara, I'm sorry. I wanted to…never mind…its not important."

"Its fine Jake."

"Have you had dinner yet?"

"What?"

"Dinner? Stuff you eat?"

"No."

"How about if you come over for dinner."

"Jake that's not necessary."

"I want to." He said, "So be at my place in an hour."

Before Sara could respond, he hung up the phone and walked over to his car.

**An hour later**

Sara knocked on the door to Jake's apartment. He opened the door, an apron covering his clothes. 

"Nice look."

"Hey Pez." He said, opening the door a little wider.

She stepped inside, looking around.

"I still don't see how you can afford this place." She said, "Even with the extra income."

"You'd be surprised." He said, moving back towards the kitchen.

Sara followed him, leaning against the counter. She saw the pots on the stove.

"You cooked?"

"Don't sound so surprised."

"I just though when you mentioned dinner, it would be take out Chinese or pizza."

"Is that what you wanted?"

"Jake if this tastes half as good as it smells then you are a godsend."

"Well make yourself comfortable in the living room." He said, "Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure, what ever you have."

"I have beer, soda, water and wine."

"Water is fine."

Jake turned around and headed for the refrigerator. He opened the door and pulled out a bottle of water. Turning back to the counter, he passed her the bottle of water.

"I'll let you know when everything is ready."

"Okay."

Sara took her bottle of water and headed for the living room. She started to sit down then a shelf with some pictures caught her attention. Slowly she crossed the room and began looking at the pictures. There were a few of Jake with two older people.

"Are these your parents?"

"Yeah."

"You look like your dad."

"Everyone says that."

She moved down the line. The last picture was of Jake with a man that looked like a younger version of himself. The man was wearing a cap and gown, holding a diploma. She didn't hear Jake come up behind her.

"That's my brother Matthew on the day he graduated from law school at USC."

"Law School." She said, turning around, "So the whole protect and serve vibe runs in the family?"

"Kind of." He said, "Dinner's ready."

"Great. I'm starved."

"Follow me."

"Aren't we eating it the kitchen." She asked, following him

"Nope, in here."

He opened the door just off the kitchen. Sara felt her breath catch in her throat. The table was set for two, complete with flowers and candles. Sara made her way towards the table. Jake pulled out her chair and waited until she sat down, then pushed her chair in.

Jake walked around to his side of the table. Sara looked on in interest as he began to remove the covers from the different pots. 

"So what do we have tonight?" She asked

"Roast chicken and vegetables."

Jake cut the chicken and served her some, then he added some vegetables. Then he served himself and took his seat. Sara looked down at her plate.

"Jake this looks amazing. Thank you."

"Your welcome." He said, picking up his fork

Sara picked up her fork and began to eat. As she swallowed her first bite, she said

"This is amazing."

"Glad you like it."

They talked about different things, staying away from work or their cases. As they finished their meal, Jake stood up and began clearing the table. Sara started to stand up but Jake stopped her.

"Sit down birthday girl." He said, "I still have a few more surprises for you."

He picked up the plates and carried then into the kitchen. When he returned, he picked up the bowls and carried them into the kitchen. A moment later, the lights dimmed.

"Jake you better not…"

Before she could finish, Jake walked in singing happy birthday. Sara turned in her seat to see him carrying a small cake with a few candles on top. He set the cake in front of her as he finished the song. 

"Make a wish Sara."

Sara leaned forward and blew out the candles. As she leaned back, he said

"Did you make a wish?"

"Yes."

"Good, now let's have some cake."

Jake cut the cake and handed her a piece on a plate. Then he served himself a piece. When they finished, Sara leaned back in her chair.

"Jake, thank you for everything."

"One more thing." He said, reaching in his pocket.

Sara watched as he pulled out a small object wrapped in purple paper. Slowly he slid it across the table towards her. She took it, staring at it for a minute.

"Are you going to open it?"

"Yeah."

She unwrapped the paper to see a small velvet box. Slowly she lifted the lid to see a silver band. Looking up, she didn't know what to say. 

"It's a Claddaugh ring." He said, "It symbolizes loyalty, friendship and…"

"And what Jake?"

"Love." He added in a whisper

When Sara didn't say anything, Jake stood up and began gathering the plates. He walked in the kitchen, leaving her alone. Sara stared at the ring. Slowly she lifted the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger.

She stared at it for a minute, then stood up. Jake was standing at the counter, loading plates into the dishwasher. She could hear him muttering something to himself.

"Idiot…fool…you did it now."

"Jake?"

He spun around seeing her.

"Sara, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Sara crossed the room, stopping in front of him. Slowly she leaned forward to press a kiss against his lips. His arms wrapped around her waist and he deepened the kiss. They parted, looking into each other's eyes.

"Happy birthday Sara." He whispered, "I love you."

"Thank you Jake." She whispered, "For making my wish come true."


End file.
